Page 14 of Fern’s Date with Destiny (Heart Falls Vignette and Novella Collection #4)

“You two are monsters,” Chance declared, but he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Rose’s cheek, whispering something in her ear that made Rose’s eyes shine.

Cody’s throat went tight watching them. Simple happiness. No big declaration, no show. Just…belonging.

He wanted that. Someday.

Fern softly nudged his knee under the table. When he looked over, she gave him the smallest nod, as if she’d read every thought in his head.

Maybe she had.

After everything was cleared away, Cody stood to stretch. “I’ll walk you home.”

Fern tilted her head. “Sure?”

“Yeah.” He looked to Rose. “Thanks for the invite.”

“You’re welcome anytime,” Rose said softly, her gaze warm but perceptive. As if she understood exactly how hard it had been to show up tonight.

Chance clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t.” This time, Cody meant it.

They stepped out the back door together, boots crunching on the path between the yards. Moonlight silvered the fences and the brittle stalks of last year’s perennials. The air was sharp enough to bite his lungs, but Fern’s gloved hand slipped into his, and happiness warmed him deep inside.

When they reached her porch, she paused. “You okay?”

He nodded. “Better now.”

“Good.” She touched his cheek, her mittened hand clumsy but perfect. “You can tell me when you’re not.”

“I’m working on it,” he admitted.

“Work faster,” she teased.

Then she kissed him. Soft. With heat behind it, but mostly warmth. Comfort. A promise.

It wasn’t the kind of kiss that knocked the world off its axis, but the kind that reminded him the ground was still there.

When she pulled back, she smiled up at him. “Night, cowboy.”

“Night, sweetheart.”

The door swung open behind her, and Malachi Fields appeared, taking in the scene with a raised brow. “Everything all right out here?”

“Just fine,” Fern informed him.

“Good.” He glanced between the two of them, gestured to the room behind him. “Inside is that way, kiddo.”

Fern shot her dad a look. “Behave.”

“I always do,” Malachi said blandly, stepping aside to let her pass.

Fern slipped into the house, but she glanced back and blew Cody a final kiss. The expression in her eyes so sweet and trusting, he just stood there and breathed deep.

No matter what, tonight was going to be okay.

Malachi gestured to the snow-dusted chairs on the patio. “You got time to sit?”

Cody hesitated then nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

They settled side by side, breath fogging the cold air. For a long minute, neither spoke. The moon hung low over the neighbouring roofs, and somewhere down the street a dog barked, a thin lonely sound.

Malachi cleared his throat. “Fern’s been stubborn since the day she was born.”

Cody huffed out a laugh. “I’ve noticed that hasn’t changed much.”

“But she’s also loyal. She doesn’t give up on the people she cares about.” Malachi shifted, turning just enough to meet Cody’s gaze. “You’re a lucky man.”

Cody swallowed, his voice suddenly rough. “I know.”

“Friendship is a fine foundation,” Malachi continued. “Stronger than a lot of folks realize. And you two…you’ve built something good there.”

“I hope so.” Cody drew in a slow breath. “I want more. Someday. But right now, I’m just trying to figure out how to stop screwing up.”

Malachi’s chuckle was low, warm. “We all screw up. Over and over again. The trick isn’t pretending you won’t, it’s learning to get back up and mean it when you say you’re sorry.

” He paused. “Learning how to share what you don’t know yet.

Women in particular like that. It’s less about the details and more about feelings, which we men sometimes fail to deliver. ”

Cody looked down at his hands. He flexed them slowly and tried to ignore the way the left one trembled. “I’ve got a referral to a neurologist in Calgary. Mid-February.”

Malachi nodded, nothing but understanding on his lined face. “Good. Once you know more, you’ll know more. Until then, you let the people who care about you stand beside you when you want, and you tell them when you need room to breathe—but tell them, either way.”

Cody swallowed hard. “I’m trying.”

“You are now, and that’s good to see.” Malachi stood, waited until Cody joined him, then squeezed his shoulder. “Better than good, son.”

The word lodged in Cody’s chest, bright and painful and perfect. Son . The word, from a man who’s opinion mattered, meant the world.

“Thank you,” he managed.

“You’re welcome.” Malachi stepped back inside, leaving Cody alone with the night.

For a moment, Cody just breathed. Let himself feel the cold, the quiet, the relief that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t broken everything that mattered.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Fern: Text me when you get home. I worry.

He smiled, thumb hovering over the keys.

Cody: I will.

After a heartbeat, he added:

Cody: I don’t know if I want you at that appointment yet. The one in February. I might need to do it by myself.

Three dots flickered.

Fern: That’s okay. Just promise you’ll tell me what happens when you’re ready.

Cody: I promise.

When he finally turned to walk back across the yard to his truck, the fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. But fear wasn’t the only thing.

Because for the first time in a long time, he knew he wasn’t walking alone.